Pubdate: Sun, 24 Apr 2016 Source: Sunday News (New Zealand) Copyright: 2016 Fairfax New Zealand Limited Contact: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/5119 Author: Tony Wall POLICE REJECTED WARNINGS ON DISCREDITED CANNABIS REPORT MINISTRY of Health officials tried to get an intelligence report on cannabis harm recalled because of "significant concerns" about its quality but police refused. The report, New Cannabis: The Cornerstone of Illicit Drug Harm in New Zealand, said cannabis was getting stronger and putting more than 2000 people a year in hospital. It was produced by analyst Les Maxwell of the National Drug Intelligence Bureau, a police-led agency also involving Customs and Health. Senior police lauded the work as the first real assessment of cannabis harm, but sources say controversy around the way it was released led to a major review of the governance of the NDIB. Last week, it was revealed sociologist Steve Dawson of west Auckland spent five years getting hold of the data used for the section of the paper dealing with hospital admissions. His research showed the figures had been exaggerated tenfold. Now, further documents obtained under the Official Information Act show that Ministry of Health officials warned that the report would harm the NDIB's reputation. Matthew Andrews, acting team leader of the ministry's National Drug Policy, emailed bureau chief Mick Alexander in January 2008, saying there had been inadequate consultation and asking that all copies be recalled. Andrews said the paper's sources were one-sided and "not particularly authoritative". He said the overall theme of "new cannabis" being more potent was inappropriate as it was a contentious issue not backed by evidence in the report. Andrews said parts of the assessment were inaccurate, it inappropriately criticised other countries' drug policies and could be "perceived as having an agenda". It also had the potential to "negatively affect the reputation of the NDIB for producing high-quality intelligence assessments". Detective Sergeant Stuart Mills, acting head of the NDIB at the time, wrote back saying while there could have been better consultation and peer review, the report would not be withdrawn as to do so would "impact on the bureau's reputation". He said the bureau's job was to provide "authoritive intelligence and advice on illicit drugs" and the Maxwell report "does precisely this at a strategic level". He added: "It also supports decision-making at an operational and tactical level". That contradicts a statement provided last week from current NDIB head John O'Keeffe, who said the paper was "never intended to be an operational document to inform drug enforcement operations". O'Keeffe said the report was no longer referenced. Dawson said he was "gobsmacked" that health officials tried but failed to have the cannabis report withdrawn. "The police have captured the bureaucracy at some high level someone has given authorisation to run roughshod over the sister agency." He said police had "manufactured social harm that doesn't exist". [sidebar] Pot debate draws crowd CANNABIS conversations are smoking in Nelson. In just one hour yesterday, more than 250 signatures were collected on a petition at a medicinal-cannabis rally in the city. People from many walks of life gathered to support legal medicinal cannabis use, or listen to the debate. Legal cannabis advocate Victoria Davis said the rally was held in conjunction with the United Nations meeting to address the failure of the war on drugs. "It's acknowledged by all global experts now that the war on drugs was expensive, ineffective and made criminals out of a lot of ordinary people. If someone is sick it shouldn't be a crime to make them feel better." Davis said no drug worked as well as cannabis to ease conditions such as seizures. Jessica Long - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom